Big Premium SUVs Play King of the Hill in Extensive Off-Road Comparison Test

There is no practical reasoning behind that, just fear. The fear of the colossal shame you'll feel when the jacked-up vehicle you own will be left in the dust by something smaller, cheaper, and seemingly less off-road-worthy than your behemoth.

Also, you need to have the bragging rights over your SUV-owning friends, and nobody boasts about a bigger trunk or more legroom in the third-row seats. No, the only thing that matters - without actually mattering, if that makes any sense - is how easily the vehicle can extract itself from a purely theoretical difficult off-road situation.

Well, as people have been saying for ages, if that's what you're after, you can't go wrong with a Land Rover product or, alternatively, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Between them, these two have the best all-wheel-drive system and the highest number of lockable differentials while also keeping the comfort and luxury levels at a very high standard. Will this massive test that includes competition from the likes of Toyota and BMW confirm this theory, or will we see a shift in power? Well, keep reading to find out.

Here is the complete list of models on trial, in the order they took on the course: a 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 with a 4.6-liter V8 engine, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 with a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six, a 2019 Lexus LX570 with a 5.7-liter V8, a 2020 Infiniti QX80 with a 5.6-liter V8, a 2020 Range Rover LWB with the 5.0-liter supercharged V8, a 2020 BMW X7 with a 4.4-liter turbocharged V8, and a 2017 Mercedes-AMG G 63 with a 5.5-liter turbocharged V8.

Due to the difficulty of the course, all vehicles started off in the most off-road-friendly configuration, though you'll see that's not the case for every contestant. But let's go over how each of them performed.

The Land Cruiser started in low range, with the central diff locked and the traction control system in "Mud and Sand" mode. The Toyota handles the short course well enough, but its unloaded wheels spin quite a lot and it needs plenty of gas pedal action to move forward. However, with the "Crawl Mode" activated (an off-road cruise control, if you will, where the driver only handles the steering wheel), it makes a much cleaner ascent.

The next vehicle up the hill is the GLS-Class. The Mercedes proves to be a positive surprise, climbing easily despite missing a low range option. It does, however, have an "off-road mode" that helps a lot, and the driver was also more willing to give it gas when needed. Overall, a better performance than the Land Cruiser, which is not something you would have thought you'll hear.

The GLS is followed by the Lexus LX570, a vehicle similar to the Toyota Land Cruiser 200. Like its sibling, it engages low range, locks the central diff, and puts the traction control in "Rock and Dirt." As expected, it gets similarly underwhelming results. However, it's a Lexus, not a Land Cruiser, so its ego shouldn't be hurt as much.

It's time for the Infiniti QX80 to take the stage with a low range and no locking differential. The first obstacle proves to be a difficult challenge for the Japanese SUV, and only lots of gas manages to get it over, not before a strange mechanical sound could be heard repeatedly. The driver decides to take a less demanding line from then on since he probably feared he'd otherwise have to tow the vehicle back home.

It's the Range Rover LWB's turn and, unlike the competitors before and despite having street tires, they decide to go up not using low range. The SUV is in Drive mode instead, with the Terrain Response set in Auto and the air suspension lifted. Show off. Even so, the wheel spin is minimal, and the Range Rover climbs with no fuss.

The BMW X7 probably wished it had followed a less impressive performance, but it needn't worry because it too came pretty well prepared. With a rear locking diff and several modes for the traction control system ("Gravel" was used in this case), the BWM SUV exceeded all expectations.

Finally, we have the Mercedes-AMG G 63, this confusing SUV that's just as good off-road as it is accelerating in a straight line. Like the Range Rover, it came on street tires, but as was the case with the Range Rover, it didn't really matter in the end. The driver played around with the settings and the locking differentials, and even though some configurations were better than others, the G-Wagen kept on going regardless. Its very impressive suspension travel helped as well, making sure as many of its wheels as possible were in contact with the ground at all times.

After everyone has had their turn, it's time for the rankings. The Infiniti QX80 is the obvious loser, so it comes in fifth. Fourth place is somewhat surprisingly shared by the two Toyota models - the Land Cruiser 200 and the Lexus LX 570. In third, they put the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, with the BMW X7 in second. Personally, we feel these two should be switched around, but it's just our impression after watching the clip.

That leaves the Range Rover and the Mercedes-AMG G 63 to share the top spot - two different SUVs that prove there are more ways of solving a problem efficiently.